We’ve been remiss.

Soony Saad can no longer be referred to as Soony “all he does is score goals” Saad, as we tagged him last winter.

The moniker is no longer apt.

Saad wins awards too.

The superstar striker from the Michigan Wolves garnered yet another honor Thursday as he was named the 2009-2010 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

In a special surprise presentation Thursday afternoon, Saad was greeted at his Dearborn High School (Dearborn, Michigan) by MLS player Alecko Eskandarian, who also captured the prestigious award in 1999-2000. Watch the surprise in this exclusive video.

“This is such an honor,” Saad said. “I kind of knew something was up when I was told to go home and change into something nice, then I came into my language arts class and there were a bunch of cameras in the room. Alecko walks in and he’s such a legend to me; the guy has been an MLS Cup MVP. Just to be amidst a guy like that is an accomplishment in itself.”

A fixture on our Top 100 Player List, and a former member of the SuperElite® Discover Europe squad, Saad recently enjoyed a monster season at Dearborn.

Headed to Michigan this fall, Saad set a state single-season record with 76 goals on his way to being named the Michigan Soccer Coaches Association’s “Mr. Soccer.”

Saad finished his career with a state-record 172 goals and was named an NSCAA All-American.

The 5-foot-10 standout is one of the purest strikers of the ball in the country. His combination of power, accuracy and a lightning quick release make him extremely dangerous. Not to mention the fact that he’s incredibly opportunistic and composed in the scoring zone.

Over the summer, Saad rejoined the Wolves where he originally started playing before jumping over to Vardar prior to his first U15/U16 season in the U.S. Development Academy.

Saad, a 2008 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Player of the Year, has the Wolves in contention for a national title this season.

But his resume isn’t just confined to the states. Prior to the academy season, Saad helped lead a group that barnstormed through Germany, Belgium and Austria. The squad included stars Kelyn Rowe, Harrison Petts, Kovi Konowiecki and Zachery Barnes, and finished the European tour undefeated.

Not surprisingly, Saad was the leading goal scorer on the team.

But that’s not all he does. Not anymore.
 
“This is a real eye-opener to me,” Saad said. “It shows me that if I can work and improve I don’t have to stop here. Hopefully I can reach the level of national caps or playing professionally in Europe. I want to use this to move on to bigger and better things.”